Monega Hill round

After a fairly easy 5 miles at the weekend and with Storm Floris behind us, time once again to make the most of the better weather and to venture out into the hills.

Today it was to be Glen Isla, venturing up to the very head of the glen before making my way up onto the plateau via Monega Hill to tick off Glas Maol and Creag Leacach before completing the round with an ascent and flying descent off Monamenach back down to the start/finish point at Auchavan.

I have done this route before but a few years ago. The path up over Monega Hill is an established route from Glen Isla to Braemar, something I have also done before on a summer overnight trip from Alyth to Braemar.

I was up Creag Leacach and Glas Maol this time last year as part of a blast around the Glenshee 9. However, this is a very different route and one with a fine combination of some hard climbing, varied terrain and great hill running. Just shy of 13 miles and about 1,300 meters of elevation. My legs were SORE after the Cat Law route a week ago. Surprisingly sore. Thus, the more hill training the better to condition my legs as Andorra is now a shade under four weeks away.

The forecast promised clear skies and sunshine although there was every chance the temperature could dip down into single figures on the summits, so I had packed a long-sleeved layer and a jacket to cover any variables.

It was about 1000 when I arrived at Auchavan, effectively the terminus of the public road in Glen Isla. There were no other cars at that point at the usual parking spot down by the bridge. It was windy and with some elevation to come, I opted to put the long sleeves on under my top. This turned out to be the right choice.

Thus, I set off with the first couple of miles being hard packed vehicle track, heading north alongside the river. This passed quickly and I soon reached the bridge adjacent to the Tulchan Estate lodge. Thereafter, it is a much rougher track, and the views open up towards the head of the glen, with Monega Hill looming large to the west of the track.

There is a sign indicating the Monega Path but this is not the best place to turn off up the hill. By going a few hundred metres further on, there is a reliable water source which, in summer conditions, is likely to be the last water before the finish. I took a good drink and re-filled the flask before heading up the obvious quad track up through the grass to the left. This is the best point at which to begin the climb.

I settled into an uphill rhythm, using my breathing as a guide to dictate my pace. After the initial steep section up the lower grass slopes, the long haul up the shoulder of Monega Hill begins. The strong crosswind did not help matters but I plodded on, remembering to look back and enjoy the fantastic view back down Glen Isla.

I hit the top of Monega Hill (889 metres) at 55 minutes but didn’t linger due to the wind chill. From there it is a very brief, grassy downhill before the path climbs again to the top of Little Glas Maol, a Munro top rather than a full Munro.

From that point, venturing to the edge affords a great view down into Caenlochan Glen, one of two smaller glens that form the northern end of Glen Isla.

From Little Glas Maol, there is another brief downhill run before the start of the climb to Glas Maol itself. As with all these hills, the view before the climb suggested a fairly short distance to the top but I knew this not to be the case and it was a little while before the grass gave way to rocks before the summit. Several mountain hares in their brown summer coats made a dash for cover as I approached.

The summit cairn of Glas Maol (1068 metres) was finally reached and I paused here to take advantage of the shelter to regroup and to get some calories inside me.

Thereafter, a great downhill run on easy trail down off the dome-like top of Glas Maol, towards the boundary wall which marks the route to the next landmark, the summit of Creag Leacach.

As the boundary wall is reached, the terrain changes markedly and becomes much more uneven and rocky. There are also a number of old fence posts strewn about, but more of a hazard are the lengths of sturdy, rusted fence wire which litter the ground, camouflaged against the heather and waiting to ensnare the unwitting runner.

Today, I was such a victim. I didn’t see a section of this wire and hooked it with a toe, sending me down on my front with some force. I had instinctively tucked my arms against my chest to protect my face, so my knees and the backs of my hands took the brunt of it against the rocky ground. As falls go, this was one of the sorer ones I have had but you just have to force yourself back up on to your feet, check nothing is broken and run on before the shock and stiffness have a chance to set in. Both knees were bleeding and both hands were painful but nothing to prevent progress.

I made my way along the boundary wall before the start of the rocky climb up Creag Leacach. There are a couple of false tops en route with a short descent before the final climb to the cairn at 987 metres. This is a much more dramatic top than Glas Maol, albeit not as high.

Although it felt a little warmer, there was still a strong crosswind from the west so I continued on, picking my way along the rocky ridge on the best sections of ground I could find. Once the ridge came to an end, the view opened up to the southeast and I could look across to the south and see the route I would take to Monamenach.

After another brief but enjoyable downhill, I took the option of veering off to the left, contouring around and across the open hillside in the direction of the fenceline which marked the direction of travel for the next section of the route. The loss of elevation and less windy conditions allowed me to take off the long sleeves at this point.

The first intermediate hill was negotiated with relative ease as the path was easy to follow and the gradient favourable. However, I knew the next hill was a different story and is one of the sole reasons why I would think twice about this route under wetter conditions. Black Hill (754 metres) is aptly named because its most prominent features are the extensive peat hags that cover the northwest slopes. This is a hard grind in dry conditions such as today even though the peat was just dry and firm enough to skip over the surface without sinking in. If the peat was water-logged, it would not be a pleasant experience.

After what seemed like a long time, I reached the gate at the top of Black Hill and made the sharp left turn required to cover the ridge which leads to the long downhill path to the foot of Monamenach. Although a great little running path, I was ever conscious of Monamenach looming ever taller in front of me as every metre I descended meant a metre of climbing on the other side.

There is a faint path uphill which roughly follows the straight fenceline to the top of Monamenach. The gradient varies but it is nothing other than a featureless grind straight up to the top. With 11 miles in my calves and quads and throbbing knees, the flat top and meagre summit cairn (807 metres) were a very welcome sight. A look back towards Creag Leacach and Glas Maol beyond confirmed how much difficult ground had been covered in a relatively short time.

From there it is downhill all the way to the car down in Auchavan below. The track off the top improves incrementally and before long I was moving smoothly downhill at a good pace. This continued once the 4×4 track was reached and this long descent required focus and nimble feet to avoid further calamity on its rocky surface.

Finally, the last dash across the grass at the bottom took me back to the car. I had passed a few walkers en route, some heading up from Auchavan and some who had clearly come up from Glenshee which is the normal approach for Glas Maol and Creag Leacach.

The minor flesh wounds could not dampen my enthusiasm for the day and although I had done this route before in fairly similar conditions, I had forgotten what a challenging route it is over only 12.5 miles. That said, I am going to be sore as f*!k tomorrow !